A powertrain for a vehicle may be located in the front of the vehicle on a subframe attached to a frame. The powertrain may include components such as the engine and the transmission. The subframe is a discrete, separate structure from the frame that is attached to the frame and carries certain components. As an example, a unibody type vehicle architecture may include the subframe attached to the frame.
During a front collision, a vehicle traveling forward strikes an object or another vehicle. The collision may push components located in the front of the vehicle, such as components of a powertrain, backwards relative to the vehicle. During this deformation, the components stack up into each other. This “stack-up” of components may increase the severity of the deceleration pulse experience by any occupants of the vehicle, that is, the deceleration versus time over the course of a collision, by creating load paths that may transfer the force from a collision into the passenger cabin. The stack-up may also increase the risk or severity of an intrusion into the passenger cabin.